For immediate release
June 13, 2000
CHICAGO – The chairman of the American Medical
Association Board of Trustees today called on the Senate
Republican leadership to stop “the foot-dragging, smoke
screens and posturing,” and pass a meaningful patients’ bill
of rights.
Speaking to 550 physician delegates at its Annual Meeting
in Chicago, AMA Board Chair, D.
Ted Lewers said, “Physicians across the country need to
send a strong message to Senators (Bill) Frist (R-Tenn.) and
(Don) Nickles (R-Okla.),” leaders of the opposition to the
legislation.
The AMA supports the Norwood-Dingell patients’ rights
legislation passed overwhelmingly by 275 votes in the House
last fall. Last week the Senate tabled the same measure by
51-48.
“We are one vote away in the U.S. Senate from getting
meaningful patients’ rights legislation signed into law,” Dr.
Lewers said. Republican senators should “stop dragging their
feet and give patients the protections that voters strongly
support by wide margins.”
Toward that goal, the AMA announced it is launching a
“tough campaign” to gain the needed votes. Specifically, the
AMA said:
- It is launching, along with local, state and specialty
medical societies, a grassroots and media campaign in
several key states where Republican senators do not support
a meaningful patients’ bill of rights. The campaign will
begin next week in Missouri.
- In addition, the AMA is coordinating grassroots pressure
on the Senate being applied by national medical specialty
societies.
“The opposition may have more money,” said
Dr. Lewers. “But we have the one thing on our side that is
overwhelming – the support of the American people and the
voice of their physicians. We will not be denied.”
For more information, contact:
Mike Lynch
AMA Dept.
of News and Information
(312) 294-6646 (Beeper
1-800-759-8352 pin # 1268976)
AMA
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